This was written in the early hours of 30th July 2015.......
The 1993 Mumbai Blasts convict Yakub Memon will be hanged in the next 2 hours.
The way this case has been handled in the last 22 years culminating in him being given the death penalty, raises very serious questions on the Indian Judicial system.
There is a widespread perception that he has been sent to the gallows to satisfy 'collective public conscience' and to atone for the fact that the real mastermind of this case, his brother Tiger Memon has never been captured by Indian authorities.
There is also a widespread perception that the Indian state is in such a hurry to hang him because he is a Muslim. Many other death row convicts have been supported by the state governments and the law has been manipulated to help them turn it into life sentences.
The fact that Yakub Memon decided to return to India with his wife and newborn daughter along with 7 members of his family, placing his faith in the Indian judicial system, has actually been used against him.
The evidence Yakub brought with him to implicate Pakistan's role in the blasts have been used against him and he is being sent to the gallows. The case against him has been based entirely on the confessions of an accused who turned approver. He later retracted. It is on very loose evidence and even then there was no justification for a death sentence.
It is a travesty of justice.
The judiciary and the state know that Muslims are soft targets. They can do whatever they want with them and get away with it. In fact killing and massacring Muslims is the quickest route to the top. It is a win-win situation.
Death for Yakub Memon has dealt a huge blow to whatever trust Indian Muslims had in the judicial system. I am afraid more and more Muslim youth will start believing that there is very little justice for them in India. This is both sad and dangerous.
Today is a very very sad day.
The 1993 Mumbai Blasts convict Yakub Memon will be hanged in the next 2 hours.
The way this case has been handled in the last 22 years culminating in him being given the death penalty, raises very serious questions on the Indian Judicial system.
There is a widespread perception that he has been sent to the gallows to satisfy 'collective public conscience' and to atone for the fact that the real mastermind of this case, his brother Tiger Memon has never been captured by Indian authorities.
There is also a widespread perception that the Indian state is in such a hurry to hang him because he is a Muslim. Many other death row convicts have been supported by the state governments and the law has been manipulated to help them turn it into life sentences.
The fact that Yakub Memon decided to return to India with his wife and newborn daughter along with 7 members of his family, placing his faith in the Indian judicial system, has actually been used against him.
The evidence Yakub brought with him to implicate Pakistan's role in the blasts have been used against him and he is being sent to the gallows. The case against him has been based entirely on the confessions of an accused who turned approver. He later retracted. It is on very loose evidence and even then there was no justification for a death sentence.
It is a travesty of justice.
The judiciary and the state know that Muslims are soft targets. They can do whatever they want with them and get away with it. In fact killing and massacring Muslims is the quickest route to the top. It is a win-win situation.
Death for Yakub Memon has dealt a huge blow to whatever trust Indian Muslims had in the judicial system. I am afraid more and more Muslim youth will start believing that there is very little justice for them in India. This is both sad and dangerous.
Today is a very very sad day.
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